Category Archives: News

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Rehabilitating piracy?

Digital piracy has been pinpointed as the number one enemy of new music by the industry themselves, now a new report challenges that view.

A new study argues that the music industry’s death by piracy is highly exaggerated.

The report made by researchers at the London School of Economics Department of Media and Communications(LSE) found that the industry is innovating to adapt to the modern digital market. As a whole, the study found, the music industry has not lost revenue due to piracy.

The findings of the study also challenges the demands from big music production companies for more punitive measures against individual violation of copyright.

 

Screengrab from the short film "Piracy. It's a crime." From the campaign with the same name. The now iconic clip, featuring on millions of DVDs, tells the viewer that illegally downloading files is a crime, comparable to physical crimes like stealing a car. Photo: Elias Bizannes

“Piracy. It’s a crime” the famous campaign first launched in 2005. The camapign futured a video later added as a unskippable segment in the opening sequences of millions of DVDs world wide. Photo: Elias Bizannes

Sustainable?

Sales of physical CDs has declined rapidly since the early 2000s, forcing the industry to look for new ways of bring in cash. Sales to mobile phones and legal downloads have compensated for some of the loss, but concerts and live shows have been the key to continued profits.

The LSE report has caused some controversy in the music world. The campaigning website Artists For An Ethical and Sustainable Internet reported that Radiohead Producer Nigel Godrich responded with criticism of what he called the LSE short-sighted misunderstanding about artists revenue. Mr Godrich said that “T-shirts and Tickets are nothing to do with copyright and creation, which is the supposed subject of this document.”

He went on criticising the report, saying that he hoped government sees how ridiculous the document seems for people who make records.

Heritage acts

According to the Music Industry Blog, income from concerts are not saving the music industry. The blog argues that live revenues are over reported and that although the average ticket price has increased by 34% in the last 10 years, only a portion of that finds it’s way back to the artists and managers.

The blog also claims that the live scene is dominated by older stars, saying 60% of the 20 top grossing US live acts are aged 60 or over. It says emerging acts are left little oxygen by the massive focus on so called “heritage acts” like the Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi.

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The Last Walk of Lou Reed

Musical peioneer Lou Reed, who became famous for his originality and diversity, recently passed away

Tributes to the late Lou Reed(1942 – 2013) have been paid by musicians from all over the world.

Lou Reed who died at the age of 71 is widely credited as one of the most influential rock musicians the past 50 years.

He started out in 1960s with his band Velvet Underground in New York.

 

Musical peioneer Lou Reed, who became famous for his originality and diversity, recently passed away

Musical pioneer Lou Red died recently

Their music was ahead of their time, but failed to achieve a major commercial breakthrough.

Reed and the Velvet Underground mixed American and British styles with art into their own avant garde performance.

The pioneering music created by Reed with his band and on his many solo ventures challenged both his own fans and the music industry establishment.

In 1970 he split from the Velvet and moved to Britain where he recorded his first solo album.

His next album Transformer, produced by David Bowie, propelled him from the cult scene into rock hall of fame with songs like “Walk on the wild side” and “Satellite of Love”.

One of his most quoted statements is: “One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you’re into jazz.”

Although their music failed to reach a mass audience it inspired many of their fans to start bands on their own.

Bands like REM and U2 list Velvet Underground as one of their most important sources of inspiration.

David Bowie has described Reed as his all-time hero.

Tributes from musicians quickly appeared on social media like Facebook and Twitter. David Bowie said “He was my master” and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth wrote: “So sorry to hear of Lou Reed’s passing this is a huge shock!”

In 2007 Reed told the BBC that he had never been a businessman and therefore never cared much about the music industry.

 

Cover of the Transformer album, released in 1972. Lou Reed's second album.

Cover of the Transformer album, released in 1972.

He also said that he never cared for what critiques and pundits had to say about his music.

Nevertheless, his work was instrumental in shaping many of today’s top artists and bands. His legacy lives on, even if he doesn’t give damn.

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Music of the struggle

Nelson Mandela, the first Black President, died last week aged 95.

The recent passing of Nelson Mandela, the man who embodied the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, has triggered a landslide of tributes paid from people across the world.

 

Here at Cruxx Music, we will pay tribute by remembering some “Liberation Music”, that fueled the resistance against apartheid, both in South Africa and across the globe. Our top five list is at the bottom of the article.

Song and music connected all age groups and across divides of education and wealth,

 

Former rebel, anti-apartheid campaigner and president of South Africa, passed away on December 5th, 95 years old.

Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013) Photo: Georges DeKeerle, Getty Images, April 16, 1990

After Britain gained full control over South Africa following the South African wars (1879 – 1915), a series of laws where enacted to segregate different racial groups, for example requiring documentation proving authorization to live in white areas.The 1913 Native Land Act restricted the amount of land Africans could own to 7% of the national total. Apartheid was abolished and Nelson Mandela elected the country’s first non-white president in 1994.

Nelson Mandela was chosen to be the centerpiece of what would become a highly successful anti-apartheid campaign. He was picked among the prisoners of Robben Island to personify the struggle of all people oppressed in South Africa. Despite the fact that he sat in jail for decades and was therefore not seen in public, he became an world famous icon. When Jarry Drammers wrote the song Free Nelson Mandela thirty years ago, he was just one of many imprisoned ANC leaders. On his release in 1990, he had become a global icon, despite only a handful of people knowing what he actually looked like.

 

The movement against apartheid in South Africa expanded from South Africa itself into a international movement. The campaign influencing popular culture, but was also influenced by it. I Just Want to Break Fee by Queen, became a favorite song among activists in South Africa in the 1980s.

 

Video: Musicians discuss the importance of music in the anti-apartheid struggle.

 

TOP FIVE ANTI-APARTHEID SONGS:

The Specials. Free Nelson Mandela(1984)

Sonny Okouon – Fire in Soweto

Johnny Clegg – Asimbonanga (1987)

Stevie Wonder- It’s Wrong (1985)

 

Miriam Makeba – Ndodemnyama

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Lostprophets’ Ian Watkins pleads guilty of child sex offences

Ian Watkins, front man and lead singer of welsh rock band Lostprophets pleaded guilty in court to a series of allegations of child offences, Including the plot to rape a baby.

The 36 year old from Pontypridd stood on trial with two other women at Cardiff crown court.

Watkins has ben described as a committed and determined pedophile

Watkins has ben described as a committed and determined pedophile

Watkins pleaded guilty to the attempted rape and sexual assault of a 13 year old girl, but did not plead guilty to rape.

He also admitted conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.

Watkins was described by the court as a ‘determined and committed’ pedophile who was planning to teach children and babies how to use drugs.

Meth, Coke and GHB we’re found in Watkin’s property during police searches and drugs have been described as playing an integral part in his offending against children.

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The music of the Doctor

This November the iconic BBC show Doctor Who celebrates 50 years on the air. As the longest running science fiction show on the planet, with 77 million viewers worldwide, it has become an instantly recognizable part of the cultural history of Britain. The anniversary special episode was broadcasted simultaniously in 94 countries across six continents.

A key element in the success of Doctor Who, is the distinctive style of sounds and music. From the first theme, creepy and alien, composed by Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire, to the more up beat version of the current series, it has always heralded the coming of epic adventures in time and space for millions of viewers.

 

50 years of Doctor Who!

Music from the show has become merchandise in it self. In 1983, the BBC released a full-length album with music and sound, titled Doctor Who: The Music. Music from the show has been featured at the Proms in Royal Albert Hall and a concert called Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular has been performed in New Zealand.

When the first episodes of the show was in production in 1963, a whole set of new sounds and music had to be created. The sound engineers at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop experimented freely and the results have had a enduring legacy.

Brian Hodgson, a former BBC sound engineer who worked on the original series of Doctor who, recently told BBC Radio Norfolk some of the secrets behind many of the iconic sounds from the show. He said the sound of the Tardis, the blue police box shaped combined time machine and space craft, was made by scraping his mothers keys against the strings in a old Sunday school piano.

Hodgson also told BBC how he had constructed the voice of the Daleks together with Peter Hawkins by shortening the length of the vowels to create the staccato voice. ‘EX-TER-MIN-ATE!’

 

VIDEO: Original Doctor Who theme (1963 – 1969)